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Lorenzo I of Fidenza
Lorenzo I Ercole '''(Lorenzo Ercole Francesco; 4th July 1267 - 17th December 1322), commonly known as ''the Great, ''was the ninth monarch of Fidenza of the House of Este, ruling from the age of fourteen in 1281 until his death in 1322. Lorenzo was the son of King Francesco II, who was murdered by his uncle Oberto in 1268 when Lorenzo was one. Along with his mother and younger brother, Lorenzo fled the country throughout the reign of his great-uncle Oberto I. After the murder of Oberto I, the fourteen-year-old re-entered the country and claimed his rightful throne. After this, he would reign for fourty-one prosperous years. Lorenzo is remembered today as the greatest and most successful of the Kings of Fidenza, eclipsing the achievements of many of his predecessors. Lorenzo is looked fondly upon by the people and the upper-class of Fidenza as a bastion of what a King should be. He is seen as a beacon of strength, piety and good governance. Lorenzo I is best remembered for his conquests and his successful binding together of his realm, he finally put an end to the defiant Sardinians, who had long resisted fealty to Fidenza. Upon putting down the Sardinian Rebel King Armando, he declared himself ''King of Sardinia ''to further reinforce the Fidenzan claim to the island. Early Life '''Birth and Earliest Years Lorenzo I was born on July 4th, 1267 at the former Royal Palace in Modena, which has since been destroyed and built over with the presently standing palace. He was born the eldest in a set of triplets born to King Francesco II and Queen Giovanna Orsini. He was born the eldest and the strongest of all three, though he was followed second by Princess Giovanna and Prince Giovanni (later Pope Clement V). Prince Giovanni was born considerably weaker and more sickly than the other siblings, which was a concern. Princess Giovanna was born with a clubbed foot, but was otherwise healthy. Queen Giovanna barely survived the birth, taking weeks afterwards to recover from the ordeal of delivering three children, though she would recover. When he was just over one year old, his father Francesco II was murdered in a palace coup on the orders of the King's uncle, Oberto, who seized the crown as Oberto I. Queen Giovanna managed to gather her two sons and flee the palace, though she was unable to locate the Princess Giovanna. She was wracked with guilt over this, as Princess Giovanna would later be put to death on the orders of Oberto I, who quickly became known across Europe as dishonourable and as a kinslayer. Princes Lorenzo and Giovanni were brought safely into France, where they were given refuge by King Louis IX of France at the French court for many years. Upon reaching France, Queen Giovanna declared her son to be King of Fidenza, though there was little backing and this was a tenuous title at best, with little way to support it. Exile in France Now being declared as a rival King in opposition to his great-uncle Oberto, he was brought up in the French court. At the French court, he became fast friends with the future King Philippe IV of France, who he was of a similar age with. He was given similar provisions as the French princes, as King Louis IX saw the advantage in placing a King friendly to France on the throne of one of the greatest powers in Europe. Lorenzo showed great potential in his early years, in spite of the hardships which surrounded his earliest years. He was taught by his mother, the Dowager Queen Giovanna, that the throne of Fidenza was his right as the legitimate heir of his father, King Francesco II. Back in Fidenza, Oberto was enacting a reign of terror. This quickly led to a major civil war, tearing the Italian peninsula in two. In the meantime, Dowager Queen Giovanna further reminded the lords of the peninsula of the claim of her son, Lorenzo. Some declared themselves for the King-in-Exile, though many others rebelled against Oberto without an idea of what would happen afterward. There were ideas floating around about the re-division of the peninsula or rule by oligarchy, though the then ten-year-old Lorenzo knew he would have to have the crown. While in France, the young Lorenzo developed a keen interest in wealth and grandeur. He became well-respected in the court of France, becoming almost like a son to King Philippe III of France. He was addressed by the French court as though he was a King, which led to him being brought as though he were truly a reigning sovereign. As such, he received an expensive and specialised education which was partially funded by the remaining wealth of Dowager Queen Giovanna and helped along by Philippe III, who became very fond of the young Lorenzo. Lorenzo himself would grow extremely grateful to the French Royal Family, which would lay the groundwork for the future longtime Franco-Fidenzan Alliance, which has continued for almost four centuries. The young Lorenzo also laid the groundwork for an excellent diplomatic reputation under his reign, showing great promise and diplomatic tact during his youth. Back in Fidenza, the situation continued to worsen. King Oberto was beginning to be pushed back on all sides in the bloody civil war and as such Lorenzo's loyalists called for the boy to return. By this point, he was thirteen-years-old and before the eyes of all the French court, he pleaded for the French King to provide forces to help him invade his homeland and retake his rightful throne. His pleas worked, with King Philippe III joining his struggle to reclaim Fidenza. Reign Invasion of Fidenza At the head of a French army, Lorenzo pushed into Fidenza from the north. His invasion took the armies loyal to Oberto by surprise, which led to a lightning campaign through Fidenza. Lorenzo's advancing army was cheered on by common people, who had grown sick of Oberto's tyrannical rule. Many people joined Lorenzo's ranks and marched along with the army, being armed with spears and swords to go against the usurper. In Rome, a revolt broke out against Oberto with loyalties to the exiled Lorenzo. Widespread devastation broke out into the capital, which led to Oberto fleeing in the night. Oberto famously fled to the docks of Rome and sold his crown to buy passage on a ship to Corsica. The usurper fled to Corsica without a crown, though his cause still held many notable strongholds and locations in Fidenza. Oberto bided his time throughout much of 1280, which led to chaos in Rome. A small lord seized the throne in the abandoned castle, placing a 12-year-old boy he claimed to be Oberto's bastard son upon the throne. He proceeded to declare himself regent, leading to anarchy in Rome. In August, Pope Nicholas III was torn apart by crowds in Rome in an attempt to put an end to the fighting. The 12-year-old boy on the throne, who was commonly known as Gian Baseborn, remained in the castle. His regent began issuing decrees at an alarming pace, declaring both Oberto and Lorenzo to be illegitimate pretenders and claimants, which caused uproar in the capital. The castle was stormed and in the chaos, Gian Baseborn was killed along with his Lord Regent. Rome was once again without any sort of authority, lacking a King and a Pope since the death of Nicholas III. Hearing tidings of this, Lorenzo decided it would be his goal to reach Rome as quickly as possible. In the meantime, Oberto was winning the support of the Count of Corsica, who joined his cause and provided Oberto with a small army and fleet. Oberto sailed back to Rome, where he proceeded to sack his own capital city, which led to the burning down of the castle. Around the same time, Lorenzo arrived at the walls of Rome with his significantly larger army and parleyed with Oberto. He offered that his men would not be harmed if Oberto yielded the city peacefully, though the usurper would be taken prisoner for his crimes against Lorenzo's father, Francesco II, and his crimes against Fidenza entirely. Lorenzo, of course, expected his terms to be denied, which they were. The stubborn Oberto refused to realise his cause was lost and just before Lorenzo was preparing to storm Rome, Oberto was dead. He was found dead on the makeshift throne he had created at the Castel Sant'Angelo, which he'd taken for a seat with the loss of his last castle. It is commonly believed that Oberto was poisoned, for no wounds were found on his body. Nonetheless, with the usurper dead, Rome fell to Lorenzo. He was finally and truly King. Restoration of Peace The road to peace proved to be a difficult one, but the young King was helped along by the support of lords and even the pope. Despite the brutal way in which his predecessor died, the new Pope Martin IV endorsed Lorenzo's rule and in an attempt to bind the fractured peninsula back together, Martin IV crowned Lorenzo as King, giving endorsement from the papacy to the monarchy. WIP Ancestry Issue Legitimate Issue With his wife, Elisabeth of France, there would be five pregnancies, of which three would be born living. His only child to survive to adulthood was his youngest daughter Maria however, who would go on to become the first Queen-Regnant of Fidenza. The line of Lorenzo I continues through Maria and her cousin-husband, Enrico d'Este. Their children were: * Stillborn son (14th September 1282) * Prince Alfonso Lorenzo Francesco d'Este (26th February 1285 - 18th April 1293) * Stillborn daughter (8th May 1288) * Miscarriage (16th December 1290) * Maria I, Queen of Fidenza, Croatia and Sardinia (11th November 1292 - 5th July 1330) Illegitimate Issue Lorenzo I produced a few illegitimate children with his chief mistress, Anna de' Medici, whose family Lorenzo would raise to prominence due to his relationship with her. Their children included: * Maria Anna de' Medici (2nd February 1283 - 16th October 1344) * Giambuono de' Medici (27th June 1286 - 11th August 1290) * Caterina de' Medici (1st July 1287 - 21st January 1313) * Stillborn daughter (12th March 1290) * Lorenzo Cosimo d'Este (24th December 1295 - 4th October 1366) - The only one acknowledged by the King as his child, famed for his skills in battle. Attempted to claim the throne during the reign of Ercole II, was spared and joined a monastery after his failed rebellion. Titles, Styles and Heraldry Titles and Styles * 4th July 1267 - 9th October 1281: Sua Altezza Reale, Principe Lorenzo d'Este * 4th September 1268 - 9th October 1281: ''Sua Maestà, Il Re de Fidenza (disputed, in opposition to Oberto I) '''Honours' * Grand Master of the Order of the White Eagle (founder). * Knight Commander of France Category:House of Este Category:Royal Category:Monarchs of Fidenza Category:13th Century Births